Your most favourite sleeve artworks.

[toilerinblack]

Tbh i'm not sure if this has been done as a topic before then if it has i apologise but if it has then let's widen the scope to your most favourite picture sleeve covers for 7",12" and albums.
So from the very beginning to the most present what would be your most treasured sleeve covers ever that would be say good enough to you to have framed it's that good. What would your choice be a single,twelve inch and an album sleeve picture... select one from each if you can.
I've only just thought of this topic to post so i still need to think of my favourite three carefully and i will post my favourite three later,if you can select from all the three different formats that's fine then if not at least your favourite album sleeve artwork.

[StanInBlack]

The Stranglers (Black/Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield) had brilliant album artwork from Rattus right the way up through 10, and I love a lot of the 7" picture sleeves, especially from the UA/Liberty years. The ones for Bear Cage and Who Wants the World spring to mind immediately.

After Hugh left and the band split up and then reformed as a different entity that also called itself The Stranglers but wasn't really, the album sleeves got noticeably worse overnight. Literally none of them are all that much cop, in my opinion. The ones for About Time and Coup de Grace look particularly cheap, the Norfolk Coast sleeve has aged poorly, the one for Giants a cheap bid for controversy that didn't really work and the one for Written in Red looking just like a generic alt. rock sleeve with no character.

[theraven1979]

Aural Sculpture and La Folie are faves.

The Italian/Roman marble/granite slab effect on Gospel has a certain something also. Fits well with the album.

Jim

[evonx]

The cover B&W captures the band perfectly.

Also love the MSD 12 inch sleeve and Dreamtime.

[markorbit]

I love The Gospel. Rattus is pretty cool. Don't really have a favourite 7" but having a quick scan maybe Duchess.

[strangledinAuch]

really like JJ's Pompidou Centre

B&W is a given for me on the album front
I've used it as my avatar on a football forum for the last 10 years or so
a lot of posters commented on it saying how good it is

7&12 will have to give some thought
another side of the music industry the Stranglers were particulary good at

[RetroRocket]

Blimey...this could change on any given day...

As at this moment

Rattus with Raven and Feline a close joint second

7" walk on by

12" bear cage

[StanInBlack]

What I love about the packaging to albums like The Raven, The Gospel According to the Meninblack and La Folie is that you can tell that so much thought went into them. The packaging was clearly as important to the experience as the music itself, especially taking into consideration things like the gatefold on The Gospel and the inner sleeves to The Raven and La Folie.

[theraven1979]

What I love about the packaging to albums like The Raven, The Gospel According to the Meninblack and La Folie is that you can tell that so much thought when into them. The packaging was clearly as important to the experience as the music itself, especially taking into consideration things like the gatefold on The Gospel and the inner sleeves to The Raven and La Folie.

Yeah. These days it's a case of whatever stock art crops up when they search for the album title


Jim

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[toilerinblack]

The cover B&W captures the band perfectly.

Also love the MSD 12 inch sleeve and Dreamtime.

Great choices agree with 12 inch MSD too ...great choices.

[toilerinblack]

For me there's a few great ones obviously they started straight away with such classic covers with Rattus and B&W that doesn't need any reminding at all for the first three maybe,but other artworks i like is Dreamtime,La Folie,The Raven and away from MK1 covers and right up to date for me Dark Matters is a great cover.
12" as already said before on this topic and i'd have to agree as choices goes too and that's the MSD and Bear cage sleeve covers great artworks too.
When you think about it when we used to buy our singles and albums the picture cover was all so important too how times have changed and tbh the band over the decades have brought out so many good single and album picture covers i mean how good was " The Raven" 3D cover with the first was it 20 odd thousand copies or 25 i can't remember but that is a leader too in this bands history.

[toilerinblack]

What I love about the packaging to albums like The Raven, The Gospel According to the Meninblack and La Folie is that you can tell that so much thought went into them. The packaging was clearly as important to the experience as the music itself, especially taking into consideration things like the gatefold on The Gospel and the inner sleeves to The Raven and La Folie.

Great post Stan i agree with all you say and yes your so right about one of their best ever for sure that i totally forgot about and that's the inner sleeve cover to the Gospel in fact that is probably now you have mentioned that my no.1 artwork from them.
So adding to what i have already said are my fav front covers as Stan has said the inner sleeve cover to the gospel is my favourite followed by say Dreamtime,La Folie and Dark Matters,Well pointed out and remembered Stan thanks.